Scientists are, from left to right, Dr. Anthony J. Arduengo, Saxon professor of Chemistry, Dr. David A. Dixon, Ramsay professor of chemistry and Dr. Joseph Thrasher, professor and chemistry department chair in front of Shelby Hall.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama is finding innovative solutions that will make hydrogen-powered automobiles a reality. As part of President George W. Bush’s Hydrogen Research Initiative, the Capstone has been named a partner in a Grand Challenge Center for Chemical Hydrogen Storage. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham recently announced the winning hydrogen storage research centers.

Dr. Anthony J. Arduengo, Saxon Professor of Chemistry, and Dr. David A. Dixon, Ramsay Professor of Chemistry and formerly of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, are the principal investigators with Dr. Joseph Thrasher, professor and chemistry department chair, serving as the co-principal investigator on the project.

The Center, led by Los Alamos National Laboratory and co-led by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has requested $6 million in funding each year for six years. It is part of Abraham’s recently announced $350 million in science and research projects, which represents nearly one-third of the president’s $1.2 billion commitment in research funding to bring hydrogen and fuel cell technology from the laboratory to the showroom. UA’s share will be at least $250,000 a year for five years. The benefits of hydrogen and fuel cell technology can be cleaner air, economic growth and less dependence on foreign oil.

All three UA scientists are internationally known for their research. For this project, Arduengo’s focus will be on synthesizing new compounds capable of taking up and releasing hydrogen on demand; Dixon will study the energetics of hydrogen storage systems and help design molecules that will provide maximum hydrogen storage capacity with weight by using advanced computational methods; and Thrasher’s work will seek out materials to manage heat exchange during hydrogen uptake and release, and provide for effective hydrogen transport.

Collaborative work is the key to this research, the scientists said.

“The Center had real competition for this research and was selected over several other proposed centers,” Dixon said.

“Our Center proposal was unique in that we put together a team that integrated a wide range of capabilities from two Department of Energy national laboratories, six universities – of which UA is one – and four companies to tackle the complex problem of hydrogen storage systems for the transportation sector.

“All three of us are actively pursuing research in areas that are extremely relevant to hydrogen storage systems.”

The research will take place in the newly constructed Shelby Hall, one of the most modern interdisciplinary science research and teaching facilities in the United States.

“We’re making UA competitive with universities in the rest of the country through our research efforts, and we know this grant will help us recruit the best and the brightest students to UA,” Arduengo said. “Senator Shelby and the University have made a big investment in research. We’ve used this investment to position ourselves as part of a national hydrogen storage research center with world class scientists. This will definitely help keep UA and the department of chemistry moving forward.”

UA will be working in conjunction with scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, U.S. Borax, Intematix, Millennium Cell and Rohm and Haas, as well as the following universities: Penn State, The University of California, Davis, University of Pennsylvania, UCLA and the University of Washington.

The department of chemistry is housed in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest public liberal arts college in the state, with approximately 5,500 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students. The College has received national recognition for academic excellence, and the College’s students have been selected for many of the nation’s top academic honors, including 13 Rhodes Scholarships, 15 Goldwater Scholarships, seven Truman Scholarships, one Udall Scholarship and 16 memberships on USA Today’s Academic All-American teams.